Exclusive: Pundit tips £10,000-a-wk player to exit Leeds amid recent transfer development
We’re delighted to welcome former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Leeds United…
Paul Robinson has tipped left-back Barry Douglas to leave Leeds United before the domestic transfer window closes next Friday.
Douglas, 31, has failed to make any of Marcelo Bielsa’s four matchday squads in the Premier League since Leeds won promotion and last season in the Championship, the one-time Scotland international earned just six league starts.
Douglas’ spell in West Yorkshire has been plagued by injury and the fact that Stuart Dallas has shone at left-back since the Northern Irishman was moved to play in that position.
But Douglas is currently fit to play and is below Dallas, Ezgjan Alioski and Leif Davis in the left-back pecking order with Davis, 20, earning his Premier League debut off the bench against Manchester City on Saturday.
The Daily Mail has recently reported that Watford are in advanced talks to sign Douglas and ex-Leeds goalkeeper Robinson cannot see the former Wolves player staying put at Elland Road past the end of next week.
“It looks like he will [leave],” Robinson told MOT Leeds News.
“There’s only so much room in the squad for a certain number of players and Leif Davis has done very well. He came off the bench on Saturday against Manchester City and did very well.
“It does look like Douglas will be moving on to play regular first-team football.”
Davis has been on the books at Leeds since 2018 and has emerged as one of Bielsa’s go-to youngsters when it comes to naming his matchday squads.
The Newcastle-born left-back has now made 12 senior appearances for Leeds and Robinson believes this shows how willing Bielsa is to make use of the younger players who impress him at Thorp Arch.
“It just shows how much faith the manager has got. He’s not fussed or fazed by name, age or reputation,” Robinson added.
“If you do the right thing by him, you buy into what he wants from you, then Bielsa’s not afraid to play them.”
As Bielsa now has three players who are being picked to play at left-back ahead of Douglas, it would be fair to assume that his spell at Elland Road is all but over.
According to statistics website Spotrac, the Scottish defender earns £10,000-a-week on his deal at the Whites so that would be a significant sum of money saved if he’s shipped off to Watford in time.
In other Leeds United news, Ally McCoist has made an admission about Leeds as he waxes lyrical over their football.